Statement of Purpose:

· nurture curiosity and enthusiasm for the study of nature and
science

· develop students critical thinking and problem solving skills

· prepare children to become
environmentally responsible citizens

Highlights:

The Nature Discovery Center provides a warm and informal
place for young children to learn about nature and their connection to the
natural world. Twenty-four Discovery Boxes on a variety of nature topics,
modeled after those in the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, offer endless
hours of fun learning activities. Interactive exhibits in two Discovery Rooms
are changed periodically. Past exhibits are available for loan to schools.

The Nature Discovery Center offers field trips for
pre-school and elementary grades (as well as some for middle school groups).
Using the Nature at Your Doorstep curriculum developed by the Center, the
classes make independent investigations of nature outdoors. Teachers share the
wonder of nature with young learners, while building their scientific knowledge
and critical thinking and problem solving skills. The children experience the
thrill of discovery and develop enthusiasm for the study of nature and science.

Our teachers' resource book for the field trips was published by Teachers
Ideas Press in 1997. The book, Nature at Your Doorstep, Real World
Investigations for Primary Students, can be ordered from the Nature Discovery
Center, any online or retail bookstore, or the publisher.

Discovery Room Exhibits:

The Center's Discovery Rooms contain a captivating collection of natural
objects and live specimens that parents and children can explore together,
guided by friendly and knowledgeable staff and volunteers. A kaleidoscope of
inviting hands-on activities and exhibits challenge the mind and engage the
imagination of visitors. The Discovery Boxes entice youngsters to reconstruct a
turtle skeleton, explore a "crystal cave" with a flashlight and a magnifying
glass, learn the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes, and much
more. The live animals in the Discovery Rooms include a corn snake, tree frogs,
red-eared and soft-shelled turtles, a South American opossum, and a rose-haired
tarantula. There is also an insect hotel, and saltwater and freshwater
aquariums.

Interactive exhibits of the Discovery Rooms offer a novel
and exciting way of enriching school science programs. Currently the GeoZone,
Sargasso Sea, Rainforest: Ties to the Tropics, and Follow the Flyway exhibits
are available for loan. The Rainforest exhibit received a second place award for
indoor exhibits from the National Association for Interpretation in October
1998.

Field Trips for School Groups:

Field trips to the Center involve children in inquiries using the scientific
method at a level appropriate to their age. Each weekday morning, a busload of
eager pre-K through sixth grade students, from public and private schools,
arrive at the Center for our Nature at Your Doorstep field trips. Title I school
students come free of charge, thanks to underwriting gifts from corporations and
foundations. This is the first opportunity to explore nature for many of these
children.

Before embarking on outdoor investigations, children are
asked to predict what they will find. Then, clipboard in hand, they venture into
the park. They learn to look closely (sometimes with the help of hand lenses and
insect nets), to record their observations, interpret data, and draw
conclusions. They experience the thrill of discovery and develop enthusiasm for
the study of nature and science. A University of Houston study of our program
showed that the problem-solving skills which students acquired transferred to
other subjects.

The Nature at Your Doorstep explorations are in line with the National
Science Education Standards of the National Research Council
(www.nationalacademies.org/nrc/.) The standards were designed to improve science
education and to develop students' ability to reason, to think creatively, and
to solve problems.

The Nature at Your Doorstep units help teachers meet the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) learning standards of the Texas Education Agency.
These standards identify what students at each grade level should know and be
able to do. The Nature Discovery Center web site, www.naturediscoverycenter.org,
shows how each of the ten units correlates with the TEKS standards in the four
foundation areas: science, mathematics, social studies, and language arts.

Nature at Your Doorstep field trips to the Center can be scheduled for 9:30
a.m. weekdays. Please call 713-667-6550 for reservation. The fee is $3 per
child. There is no charge for students from Title I schools (for a maximum
of one grade level per school.)

Teachers' Resource Book:

Our teachers' manual, Nature at Your Doorstep, Real World Investigations
for Primary Students, was published by Libraries Unlimited in 1997. The book
includes ten units on different topics and is used by a number of schools
and university education classes, because its learner-centered inquiry-based
approach appeals to children as well as teachers. There are few curriculum
texts available to elementary school teachers that are easy to use and based
on readily available, inexpensive materials.

Teacher Workshops:

Our teacher workshops include Nature at Your Doorstep and three national
interdisciplinary programs, Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and the
new, WET in the City curriculum and activity guide, developed by the Council
for Environmental Education.

Other Programs:

Other unique and varied programs for a wide age range include outreach programs,
Summer Science Camp, a Scout program, Nature Story Time and Nature Detectives
for 3-5 year olds, and Eco-Explorers for 5-7 year olds. Adult and family
programs include bird walks, weekend activities, family field trips, monthly
adult lectures, and community events, including Arbor Day, International
Migratory Bird Day, and Pumpkin Patch.

A Coastal Birding Trail Site:

The Nature Discovery Center received the first ever Flight STAR (Securing
Tomorrow's Avian Resource) certificate of recognition for its effort to educate
the public about birds. The Flight STAR is for facilities that are involved
in bird activities which include conservation, survey and monitoring, outreach
and education, and research. Russ Pitman Park, our home, is site #92 on the
upper section of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. See web site:
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/birdingtrails/index.htm

Newsletter:

The Center's bimonthly newsletter includes information about programs and
classes as well as a Nature Kids, Science Projects Just for Fun page, and
a related Teacher's Corner.

Funding:

The Nature Discovery Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, supported
by memberships, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, in-kind contributions,
program fees, and special events, including a fall gala, a home tour, and
a golf tournament. A Permanent Fund was established to serve as the Center's
endowment fund, so that the Center can continue its mission of helping to
raise generations that value and care for our natural heritage. For more
information about current events, please see our web site:
www.naturediscoverycenter.org.

Hours:

Tue-Fri: 12-5.30; Sat: 10-5.30.

Admission:

Admission to the Discovery Rooms is free. Donations are appreciated. There
is a fee for classes and group visits.

How to Find Us:

The Nature Discovery Center is at 7112 Newcastle
in Bellaire, TX (within Houston). It is located at the north end of
Russ Pitman Park, at the corner of Evergreen and Newcastle, just inside the West
Loop 610. From the Loop, take the Evergreen exit. Follow the feeder road
to the stop light at Evergreen. Turn east on Evergreen, heading inside the loop
(left if coming from the Galleria area, right if coming from the south).
Go two blocks to the stoplight. Turn left on Newcastle. The Nature Discovery Center
parkinglotisontheleft,justpastagateddriveway.